Everette James Named to New Health Planning and Policy Position at Pitt

The University of Pittsburgh schools of the health sciences has named Everette James, JD, MBA, as associate vice chancellor for health policy and planning. James, currently serving as secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, will assume this newly created position on October 1.
James will also serve as a professor in the GSPH Department of Health Policy & Management, and will be engaged in teaching, student advising, and collaborative research among all schools of the health sciences, as well as between the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He also will advise on legal issues related to new delivery models driven by health reform, and monitor, analyze, and provide guidance on emerging health reform issues and reimbursement models.

“Everette James brings a deep understanding of health policy and planning and will play an instrumental role in furthering our relationships with governmental agencies and key health policy groups,” said Arthur S. Levine, MD, senior vice chancellor for the health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine. “Additionally, his experience as a respected advisor on policy and regulatory issues will be extremely valuable during this era of health care reform.”

As secretary of health since 2008, James has overseen the regulation of all hospitals, nursing homes, and managed care plans in Pennsylvania, as well as the implementation of sweeping state and federal health reforms. Prior to his appointment as secretary, James served as a senior advisor to the governor, counseling on health care issues affecting the commonwealth. Before joining the commonwealth, James was a partner in the Washington, D.C., law office of LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene and MacRae with a practice focused on health, safety, and insurance regulatory and compliance matters. James also served as senior advisor and deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

James earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a law degree and master of business administration from the Illinois Institute of Technology.